


Oh Captain, My Captain

by TerraYoung



Series: Short Stories from the Waverider [7]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: (Rip), Fix-It, Gen, Minor Doctor Who Crossover, Minor Supergirl Crossover, Most Legends only mentioned in passing, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 10:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14330703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraYoung/pseuds/TerraYoung
Summary: "You think you'll just come back to life?" / "When don't I?"Or: 5 ways Rip could come back to life, plus 1 way the Legends could learn he's actually alive.





	Oh Captain, My Captain

 1: Prison Break

 

There's a flash of yellow light and then -

You open your eyes to see a sea of green. But it's not a "sea" exactly, it's more like... the Time Vortex. How on Earth did you get  _here_?

"Well, well, well," an oddly familiar voice drawls, "wasn't expecting to have company. Otherwise I'd've cleaned the place up a bit."

You turn around - how is that even possible when there isn't ground to stand on? - to find- "Mr. Snart? You're alive? How?"

Snart shrugs. "Far as I can tell, the Oculus blowing up messed with space and time, ripped a hole in it, and spat me through. No idea how long I've been here, though."

"Roughly seven years on my end, but only two for the rest of the team."

"And Mick?" There's a glint of concern in Snart's eyes.

"He didn't deal with your death very well at all at first," you answer. "Drank a lot, nearly got himself killed a couple times from what I've heard. He's doing... a bit better now, though, don't worry."

Snart just raises an eyebrow. After a couple moments of awkward silence, he nods to your wrist. "What d'you got there?"

"This?" You raise your left arm. "Oh, it's a time courier. It's like a portable, wearable time machine."

"Interesting," Snart drawls. "Think it'll work in here?"

You consider the idea. "It might."

"Then let's get  _out_ of this hellhole!"

 

 

2: Stranded

 

There's a flash of yellow light and then -

A jolt of pain as you're slammed against a solid surface. Judging by the grass tickling your face, you're outside somewhere. And some _when_. 

"You okay, mister?" A young child asks. "Looked like quite a fall. Where'd you even fall from, anyway?"

You push yourself up with a groan. The child looks to be around Jonas's age when he'd died, give or take a few years, and is wearing clothing consistent with the late 17th century. 

"It's a long story, I'm afraid," you say. "This is going to sound strange, but where and when am I?"

"London, year of our Lord 1709." So you weren't too far off the mark. "Y'drunk or somethin'?"

"Or something." You manage to get to your feet. The child watches you warily as you smack the time courier a couple times. "Know somewhere I could get a bite to eat?"

The child nods, then holds out a hand. "It'll cost ya, though."

"... _Fine_." You give them a couple of quarters. 

"Right this way, sir!" The child starts walking across the grass towards a town. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Rip. Rip Hunter. You?"

"Michael Williams."

You stop dead in your tracks for a couple seconds, then hurry to catch up with - with yourself. Back when you were a kid, and probably not too far away from being picked up by the Time Masters. This could very easily end in disaster.

 

 

3: I Need A (Super)Hero

 

There's a flash of yellow light and then -

You're falling through the air, the ground several miles below you. Thankfully, you barely have time to scream before you're caught by someone. The wind rushing past makes it impossible to see your rescuer, so you don't get a glimpse of them until you're both landing gently on the ground. 

They've got long blonde hair and are wearing some kind of superhero get-up, complete with cape. The symbol on their chest looks vaguely familiar but you can't place how. 

"Are you okay -" they blink in surprise- "Rory Williams?"

You frown for a moment. "I don't know who  _that_  is, but I'm Rip Hunter. You are?"

"Supergirl." Her eyes light up. "Wait, since you don't know who I am, are you from Barry's Earth? Earth One?"

"I am, yes, though I have no idea how I got here. Or what Earth _this_ is."

"Earth 38. And if you'd like, I can take you back to the DEO - my home base, I guess you could say - and my team and I could work on getting you back home. I'll have to warn Winn though, so he doesn't bombard you with signature and photo requests."

"Works for me," you reply. "Do we have to do the flying thing to get there, or -"

Supergirl shrugs apologetically. "It  _would_  be the quickest way."

"Alright,  _fine_."

 

 

4: Identity Crisis

 

There's a flash of yellow light and then -

You're standing face to face with yourself. Or someone who looks exactly like you, rather. Not you jumps as soon as you appear and scrambles back a couple of steps. 

"Rory?" A heavily Scottish-accented voice calls from the other side of the room. "Are you okay over there?"

'Rory' just stares for a moment. "Um, _I_ am," he begins,  _sounding_  like you as well, "but I think time's broken. Again."

"What on earth are you-" The other person breaks their sentence off once they get close enough to study you better. They've got long red hair, pale skin, and are even more Scottish up close. "Why do you have a doppelgänger? And why does he look like he stepped out of a Western?"

"'He' can hear you, you know," you say. "And I'm not whoever you think I am. My name's Rip Hunter and I'm pretty sure I'm in the wrong universe somehow." 

"Not the strangest thing we've run into, believe it or not," Rory replies. "I'm Rory Williams, by the way, and this is my wife, Amy."

"Nice to meet you both. Mind if I ask where and when I am?"

"The TARDIS and - oh  _God_ , you're a time traveler too, aren't you?"

"Yes? ...Is that a problem?" You ask. "And what on Earth is a 'TARDIS'?"

"It's a time and space ship," Amy answers, clearly struggling not to laugh. "So, less of a problem, more of a 'even in another universe I'm stuck with this nonsense'."

Rory shrugs. "Yeah, pretty much. And I  _told_  the Doctor that going through a black hole would cause something weird to happen, but did he listen?"

"Dear, he  _never_  listens when someone's saying something responsible." At your confused look, Amy explains, "The Doctor's the one flying this ship. Well, the one  _trying_  to, anyways. Imagine a six-year-old on a sugar high crossed with a centuries old, trouble-prone alien, and you've almost got him."

"...Right." You run a hand through your hair. "Y'think he can get me to my universe despite that?"

"Probably. He does have a knack for the supposedly impossible. Rory? Would you mind filling 'im in while I get your 'ganger some tea?"

"Sure," Rory says. He kisses Amy before heading out a door to your left. 

Amy nods to the door on your right. "Follow me."

 

 

5: Here We Go Again

 

There's a flash of yellow light and then -

You find yourself in your bed on the Waverider. Could it really have all been a dream? It's not fading like one though, and you can't remember how you got into bed in the first place. 

Rubbing your hand over your face reveals that your chin's a lot hairier than you remember. Has it really been that long since you last shaved? You've been so busy hunting Mallus and dealing with anachronisms that it wouldn't surprise you if it had. 

You head to your private bathroom and flick on the light. The face in front of you is not the one you'd had the last time you looked - instead of rough stubble, like you'd expected, you have a full-fledged beard. You haven't had  _that_  in over five years. And the heavy bags under your eyes look new. 

"What on Earth...?" You mutter, poking and prodding your face. Pinching yourself proves it's not a dream. 

"Captain Hunter?" Gideon asks. Funny, she hasn't called you that in ages. "We've just reached Tibet circa 2016."

"Thank you," you reply automatically. "Wait,  _what_? Why are we in Tibet?"

"...To pick up Ms. Lance to help you stop Savage," Gideon answers, sounding a bit concerned. "Don't you remember?"

"Yes, it's just -" You cut yourself off.  _That was several years ago_ , you think.  _What is going on?_  "Uh, Gideon? If I told you I'd already lived through this, what would you say?"

"My first instinct would be to recommend you go to the medbay for a mental health screening. Is there something wrong?"

You shake your head. "No, no," you lie, "just experiencing a severe case of déjà vu." 

"Let me know if that changes," Gideon says. She clearly doesn't believe you, but thankfully she's letting it slide. 

"I will." You stare at your reflection for the longest time. Assuming you're not hallucinating or dreaming or the like, you've been given a second chance. A chance to do things better, to actually be able to save Miranda and Jonas. Maybe even be able to keep Martin and Mr. Snart from dying as well. You better not waste it. 

 

 

+1: Ripanicus Huntericus (or: The Doctor Who reference we were robbed of)

 

You almost sob with relief when you see the Waverider appear out of thin air and land in the soft grass. Nearly a year of planning and manipulating has  _finally_  come to fruition. Who knew it could be so hard to  _deliberately_  create an aberration? 

It takes two seconds after the landing for you to start running towards your ship. Your armor clanks and rattles, and your men shout after you, but they're distant sounds compared to the blood rushing in your ears. You've never been happier to see the Waverider in your life.

Sara's the first one onto the landing ramp. Her eyes scan the countryside before finally landing on you. It takes her a while to recognize you beneath the ragged appearance and ancient Roman armor, but as soon as she does she calls for the rest of the team. 

You're trapped in a suffocating group hug before you know it. 

There are slaps on the back and endless questions as you're guided back into the Waverider. People keep staring at you like you're a fever dream, at least a half-dozen jokes are cracked about your appearance and its eerie similarity to a tv character, and you're subjected to a multitude of medical tests and scans. But you honestly couldn't care less. 

You're with your team - no, your  _family_  - again. If it means you're stressed beyond belief nearly every single day and get called "Roranicus Pondicus - No, Ripanicus Huntericus!" for two weeks straight, you can deal with it. It's far better than being trapped in the past with everyone mourning your supposed death. By quite a wide margin. 


End file.
